FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Stealth Red came into the championship game of the 2016 15u Florida State Championship undefeated and looking to capture the title against the Caloosa Cats. Both teams had been very competitive throughout the entire weekend and the culmination of the tournament resulted in a championship game that exemplified one team’s dominance. Florida Stealth Red used a combination of relentless offense and dazzling pitching to capture the championship by a score of 6-2.
Starting pitcher Nelson Berkwich was impressive for Florida Stealth as he was able to go the distance in the championship game. Berkwich was pounding the strike zone and consistently fooling hitters and overpowering them with his fastball which resulted in nine strikeouts on the day. He did allow two runs to score, but both were unearned, and finished the day with a cool 90 pitches and only four hits allowed.
Joe Vidaurri started the game for the Caloosa Cats and settled in pretty nicely through the first two innings. He only allowed one runner to reach base in the first inning, but, as somewhat of an omen, the second inning started to make the Cats sweat. Vidaurri loaded the bases with two outs thanks to two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but was able to escape without any damage by inducing a groundout.
After two scoreless innings from both teams, Florida Stealth exploded for five runs in the third inning. Vidaurri continued where he left off in the inning prior by loading the bases on two walks and a hit-by-pitch. Jiovel Lantigua was Vidaurri’s third hit batter of the day and the first run came home to score for Florida Stealth. Brendan McNabb came in to try to escape the inning but he couldn’t do so before allowing four more runs to score. Florida Stealth was able to keep the line moving in the third thanks to two-run singles from both Ryan Rivera and Ethan Bain.
From the third inning on, Berkwich was on cruise control. He was perfect through four innings until Milan Tucker was able to break through with a single in the fifth inning. Berkwich was able to escape the inning without further damage as the defense stepped up to make plays behind him.
Florida Stealth added a final insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning to try to put the game out of reach. Kristian Robinson tripled to lead off the inning and immediately they had a runner in scoring position. Robinson was able to come home on the next play as Keithron Moss reached on an error by the shortstop.
The Cats made one final attempt to stage a comeback in the top of the seventh inning. An error at shortstop and a double to right field had runners on second and third to start the inning for the Cats. Berkwich was able to bounce back for a strikeout and a short fly out to get two outs. Tyler Burton, the No. 13 catcher in the state of Florida for the class of 2018, then had a clutch single to drive in the two runners in scoring position. Berkwich was able to induce a fielder’s choice groundout and then the celebration was on.
Tyler Burton of the Caloosa Cats was named MVP of the tournament. He finished 7-for-17 with nine RBI, eight runs scored, and two doubles. Christian Lopez was named MV-Pitcher for the tournament. He finished the tournament with an absurd 12 strikeouts in only four innings pitched, surrendering only two hits during his time on the mound.
Florida Stealth made it to the championship game after defeating Mo Steel 5-0 in the semifinals. Caleb Stallings and Logan Riedel added RBI hits and Florida Stealth was able to take advantage of Mo Steel errors and miscues as they added three unearned runs. Jack Jasiak started for Florida Stealth and only allowed two hits across five innings pitched. He also added eight strikeouts but was throwing a lot of pitches; he finished with 81 pitches thrown, 59 percent for strikes, and walked three batters. Nicholas Wells came in and threw two perfect innings to secure the championship berth for Florida Stealth.
The Caloosa Cats run-ruled Collier Select 10-2 in six innings in their semifinal game. They took advantage of the four errors by Collier Select to score five unearned runs for the game. Tyler Nesbitt had a big day at the plate as he went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Tyler Burton threw 5 2/3 strong innings for the Cats as he only allowed one earned run and struck out eight batters on the day.
2016 PG 15u Florida State Championship runner-up: Caloosa Cats
2016 PG 15u Florida State Championship MVP: Tyler Burton
2016 PG 15u Florida State Championship MV-Pitcher: Christian Lopez
